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Potential obesity treatment targets the two sides of appetite: Hunger and feeling full

Date:
May 13, 2015
Source:
American Chemical Society
Summary:
Our bodies' hormones work together to tell us when to eat and when to stop. But for many people who are obese, this system is off-balance. Now scientists have designed a hormone-like compound to suppress hunger and boost satiety, or a full feeling, at the same time. Obese mice given the compound for 14 days had a tendency to eat less than the other groups.
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Our bodies' hormones work together to tell us when to eat and when to stop. But for many people who are obese, this system is off-balance. Now scientists have designed a hormone-like compound to suppress hunger and boost satiety, or a full feeling, at the same time. They report in ACS' Journal of Medicinal Chemistry that obese mice given the compound for 14 days had a tendency to eat less than the other groups.

In their study, Constance Chollet and colleagues targeted two main receptors in the body that help keep appetite in check. When hormones bind to ghrelin receptors, we feel hungry, but when others bind to Y2 receptors, we feel full. Researchers are exploring compounds targeting the ghrelin receptor to treat obesity. But because appetite is the result of multiple hormones acting in concert, Chollet's team wanted to design a compound to better address this complexity.

The researchers designed a peptide that binds both the ghrelin and Y2 receptors. They administered it to obese mice and found that those that received the novel peptide ate less than the other mice.

The authors acknowledge funding from the European Union, the BMBF, the Deutsche Forchungsgemeinschaft and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.


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Materials provided by American Chemical Society. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Tom-Marten Kilian, Nora Klöting, Ralf Bergmann, Sylvia Els-Heindl, Stefanie Babilon, Mathieu Clément-Ziza, Yixin Zhang, Annette G. Beck-Sickinger, Constance Chollet. Rational Design of Dual Peptides Targeting Ghrelin and Y2Receptors to Regulate Food Intake and Body Weight. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2015; 150507073759009 DOI: 10.1021/jm501702q

Cite This Page:

American Chemical Society. "Potential obesity treatment targets the two sides of appetite: Hunger and feeling full." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 13 May 2015. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150513112044.htm>.
American Chemical Society. (2015, May 13). Potential obesity treatment targets the two sides of appetite: Hunger and feeling full. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 28, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150513112044.htm
American Chemical Society. "Potential obesity treatment targets the two sides of appetite: Hunger and feeling full." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150513112044.htm (accessed March 28, 2024).

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